


Revealed

by Not_You



Series: Secret Son [2]
Category: The Avengers (2012)
Genre: Disability, Feels, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, Gen, Parents & Children, goddamn killer robots, hulk careful with squishies
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-03-12
Updated: 2013-03-29
Packaged: 2017-12-05 02:18:32
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 7
Words: 6,297
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/717722
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Not_You/pseuds/Not_You
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>In which the rest of the team meets Jimmy.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

_None of them understand Tony's panic at first. He hasn't precisely been squealing with girlish glee as killer robots push the perimeter deeper and deeper into residential areas, but he's been holding it together. And then Clint's giving them the name of a new street that's been swallowed up by the horde and Tony is suddenly not holding it together anymore._

_"Clint!" His voice is a cracked, strained mess. "Did they evacuate everybody?"_

_"Not yet." They can hear a light noise of effort as he draws, and then a muffled explosion._

_"Fuck! Fuckfuckfuckfuck--" And of course Tony goes bolting off without so much as a by-your-leave._

_"Damn it, Stark!"_

_"Not now, Cap."_

_"Yes, now!"_

_"No, not fucking now! My son lives on that street!"_

_"Your son?!"_

_"Long story, don't have time for it now we can hug it out later but I am not doing_ shit _for you until I know he's out!"_

 _"For_ me _?!" Steve tries not to shriek about this being for the world and Tony being the worst soldier ever. "Stark, so help me God--"_

_There's no answer for what feels like an hour, but is really just long enough for Tony to skim over the evacuees, JARVIS scanning and pinpointing Jimmy and his caretakers below, allowing Iron Man to zip back into the fight._

There's too much noise and light and that's scary even when it's not coming from something trying to hurt him. He has his square and his blanket, though. That helps a little. There's another blanket wrapped around him and Will is carrying him, since Jimmy can't run very fast and isn't very heavy. Will and Mary are talking, but Jimmy can't listen. There's too much going on, and he just clings to Will and cries because he's scared and when he's scared he likes to hide under the bed or in a cabinet, but they wouldn't let him this time. And then there's a really loud roar, and a lot of clanking and Will falls down and Mary says as many bad words as Daddy does when she usually doesn't say any and Jimmy wants to be in the cupboard, or sitting in the bottom of his closet with his blanket over his ear. But they're here instead, Will picking both of them up, checking Jimmy for injury with hands that shake.

He turns the square green and pokes it out so Will can see it. "You telling me you're all right, honey?" Jimmy can nod now, and he does under the blanket, pulling the square back in. "Okay. Hold on tight." He does, and suddenly they're being lifted, and the blanket flops off enough for him to see. After all the scares of the day, he just doesn't have much left for Hulk. And Hulk is green, too. The best color. He can't talk so well, but Jimmy has trouble with that too. He's strong enough to just carry all of them to where everyone else on the street is waiting. They all move back a lot farther than they have to. Hulk just makes a growly noise and puts them down really carefully, like Jimmy puts the bunny back in its cage at school. Will is holding on a little too tightly, and Jimmy wriggles to make him ease up.

"Th-thank you," Mary says, and Hulk just nods and jumps away again, to where all the noise and lights are. Jimmy watches for a while, but can't see much from where he is. He plays with his square for a while, then falls asleep with his head in Mary's lap. When he wakes up, Daddy is there only he's all covered in metal. Red and gold, and gold is different from yellow so it's okay. The metal makes his hands seem bigger, and they're very smooth when Jimmy touches them curiously.

Daddy just smiles. "Like it?"

"Yeah." He smiles a little too. Daddy kisses his forehead, which is prickly and feels weird which is why he promised a long time ago to only do it if he really had to, and then he's on the phone again even though he's not holding a phone.

"Whatever, Cap. Yeah, sure I'll—oh, hell no." He looks over at Will and Mary, and tells them a whole bunch of stuff that Jimmy doesn't understand. And then he flies away, gleaming as he recedes into the distance. That's nice to watch, and Jimmy is in a pretty good mood until it turns out that they can't go home. The robots left something dangerous everywhere, and they have to check every single house on the whole street before anyone can go home. People call friends and relatives to find a place to stay, but Jimmy knows where he's going. He's only been to Daddy's house a few times, but he likes it there. He'd rather be having dinner right now, but going to Daddy's house is all right.


	2. Chapter 2

_"Goddammit, why didn't you tell us you had a kid?" Steve roars, pacing the room. The debriefing has gone completely off the rails, but with a disclosure like this, it's only to be expected._

_"'Cause I kinda thought it was my own business, Capsicle. Is this gonna take much longer? I want to make sure he's okay."_

_Steve sputters and chokes on his rage, temporarily incapable of speech, and Natasha holds up a hand to forestall further efforts. "He means that a beloved child is a liability, and that our not knowing of his existence could have endangered him, ourselves, and possibly the entire world. Teamwork is based on trust, Tony."_

_He rolls his eyes and fidgets the way he does when he knows he's wrong. "Christ, Natasha."_

_"Anyway," Clint stretches his sore arms and cracks his neck, "We know now. What's his name? Where's he gonna be bunking until the area is clear?"_

_"James Skyler Rothchild Stark, Jimmy to his friends. And he'll be bunking with me, of course."_

__Daddy's house is really strange, but Jimmy loves it as much as he can love anything not routine. There are people he doesn't know here, but he has his blanket over his ear and Daddy is making chicken and singing softly about the walls quaking and the earth shaking all night long. Will and Mary are fixing up the rooms they use when they're here. They'll probably get their dinner delivered, since they're not like Jimmy. Jimmy only likes to eat one thing at a time. When things are mixed up, his mouth gets confused and it makes him feel like he's going to throw up. Because people are supposed to have some of everything every day, he always has dairy for breakfast, a vegetable for lunch and meat for dinner, with fruit and bread in between.

"Tony?"

Jimmy stares hard at his color square, flicking from green to blue to green to blue to green to blue as a new person comes into the kitchen. "Yeah, Cap?"

"Uh, we were gonna order Thai. You or your boy want anything?"

"Jimmy only eats one thing at a time, but I could probably take on about a gallon of musamun. Pepper knows what I like."

_It's not any of his business, but Steve can't help being surprised when Tony leaves the kid to eat in the kitchen with his caretakers, joining the rest of them in the living room like it's been any other mission. He flops onto the couch and puts his feet up and devours his curry and snipes at Clint like always, and it makes Steve wonder if Tony is actually ashamed of his son. There's uneasiness in the set of his shoulders, and he's tipping into the range of fast and rambly that usually means he's trying to distract himself._

_"So, is the kid allergic to people, or what?" Clint asks around a mouthful of pad Thai_

_"Kind of. He's autistic anyway, and likes his routine. Since I don't really _have_ a routine, I'm usually just a splash of variety, while he eats with Will and Mary every day." He shrugs. "Seemed like the thing to do."_

_Clint nods. "Rocky autistic or bitey autistic?"_

_"Little of this, little of that. Why, you pass through one of those group homes with sixteen neurologically atypical kids and enough qualified care for about half of one?"_

_"More than one." He sighs. "They used to scare the hell out of me, screaming out of the blue."_

_He nods. "Well, Jimmy doesn't do that much, because we actually listen to him. He likes to line things up and stack them, so just don't fuck any of that up and he's cool. And he hates yellow, so he'll be even more reluctant to deal with you if you're wearing it. Gold's okay."_

_Bruce smiles softly. "Lucky for you."_

_"Green's his favorite." Tony grins. "He got along pretty well with the big guy."_

Dinner is like it should be. Will and Mary are there, and he only eats one thing. He has his square, and even with all these new people in the house, he thinks he'll be all right. Will and Mary are still scared from before, which doesn't make much sense because no one got hurt and they're at Daddy's house now. He tells them so when he's done eating, and Will laughs and says he's right. Jimmy smiles, and washes his hands like he's supposed to. Even though he doesn't live here, he has a room. He usually goes to it on his own, but there are people here and he's not sure about it. Mary sees, and gives him her skirt to hold onto because Jimmy doesn't really like holding hands. It's one of his favorites, worn blue denim that's a friendly color and soft to touch. He hangs onto it as they pass the group, glad when Daddy gets up and follows them.

Jimmy's room at Daddy's house is nice. It's all green and blue, for one thing, just like his room at home. The bed is made, and he knows it will be with comfy sheets, not nasty scratchy ones that make him cry. His toys are all on the shelf where they belong, and there's a whitenoise machine by the bed so he can sleep at night. He walks all the way around the room with one hand on the wall like he always does, and then puts his blanket on the bed and sits down. Most of Jimmy's toys are simple geometric blocks that are perfect for how he likes to play, and he can feel Daddy watching in the doorway as he starts stacking, only leaving when he's sure Jimmy is comfortable. He spends the rest of the night in his room, making perfect stacks and long straight lines, and sleeps well, because even if he isn't home like he's supposed to be he has his blanket and the nice soft whitenoise.

He's upset in the morning, though. Because it turns out that it will take a week to clean the house. He almost screams, but remembers to be good. Mary can tell how hard it is, and thanks him for being good. He's ready for school, because today is one of the days he goes, and that makes him happy because that's how it's supposed to go. Will drives him like he usually does, and at least school is the same. Will walks him into the building like always, and Mrs. Redland is there with some of the other kids, and she says she's glad Jimmy is safe. What Mrs. Redland says is usually true, which is a good thing about her.


	3. Chapter 3

_Bruce lets his tea steep, watching the steam coil up. Jimmy seems similarly fascinated, and it gives Bruce an opportunity to study the kid a little. He's a beautiful child, of course. He has his father's dark, expressive eyes set in a delicate little face, and deep brown hair that forms natural ringlets. Mary chuckles._

_"It is pretty."_

_"Tea is its own meditation." He snorts softly at how pretentious he sounds. "By which I mean that the ritual is soothing."_

_"I know what you meant."_

_"You, uh. Seem awfully calm for someone who met the other guy first."_

_"Green." Jimmy says, still watching the steam._

_Bruce hesitates a little before replying. "Yeah, the other guy is the green one."_

_"I like green."_

_"That's what your dad said."_

_Jimmy actually smiles at him, and Bruce smiles back, feeling like he's been struck by very soft and warm lightning._

Daddy is working most of the day because that's what Daddy does, but he stops to cook Jimmy dinner and again to come up and read to him before bed. It doesn't help Jimmy sleep. Whitenoise is much better. But before he's in bed and when all the lines are just right, he likes to have Daddy read to him. Not stories. Jimmy doesn't really like stories, but he likes real things that aren't about people. He doesn't have to understand it, and tonight Daddy is reading something from his tablet about superparamagnetism that Jimmy is pretty sure most other grownups wouldn't understand anyway. Touching isn't always good, but he likes to lean on Daddy's chest and feel the vibrations of his voice while he reads. That's what he's doing now, and he almost does fall asleep, because the pressure of his ear against Daddy's chest is as comforting as a blanket, and the vibrations as good as whitenoise. And then Daddy's phone beeps, and he mutters some bad words and answers it.

"Yes? This had better be important." He listens for a while and sighs. "All right." He hangs up a moment later, and Jimmy puts up with a prickly kiss on the cheek and hugs Daddy goodbye because he has to go put on his metal. He promises to be back for breakfast, and Jimmy does some of his homework before bed. He's not worried, because Daddy is good at his job. Daddy also keeps his promises, so Jimmy is surprised to go to the kitchen the next morning and not see him. Jimmy hates surprises, and stares warily at the man sitting slumped at the table. His bare arms are smudged with soot, and there's some in his short, stiff hair. At least he's one of the people living here, but that doesn't count for too much as far as Jimmy is concerned. There's a can of chocolate protein powder by the blender, which means Will or Mary is around somewhere.

"Hey, kid. Don't worry, I live here and I'm not gonna make any loud noises or sudden movements." He puts a hand to his head and winces. "Too damn tired for sudden movements anyway."

Jimmy stays where he is until Will comes back. "Oh, hey buddy. This is Clint, and your dad will be up here in just a minute."

When Will says things like that, he means them, so Jimmy goes and sits down at the same table as Clint, glad he brought his square. Daddy has a quiet blender so the noise isn't bad even when it crushes ice, which it's doing now. Clint is quiet and just thanks Will for his nasty coffee and sips it, watching the colors change. Jimmy knows he's watching, but it's kind of sidelong, and doesn't bother him like he would expect it to.

"Man, purple is awesome," Clint mutters when Jimmy switches to purple. He seems tired, so Jimmy switches between green and purple, both their favorites. After a moment he hears Daddy chuckle behind him.

"Good to see you two getting along." He ruffles Jimmy's hair, which is one of those touches that don't irritate, and Jimmy giggles. He drinks his breakfast and Daddy has some too, asking him what they're going to do in school today.

"Science," Jimmy tells him, and Daddy grins.

"Right, you guys have that field trip on Friday."

And they do. Jimmy likes the Museum, but the day before is almost as good, because they spend it going over what they've learned and what they're going to look at on the trip. It would be too big a break in his routine if they hadn't been planning it since before the robots showed up. So now he'll go just like he would have before, only he'll go home to Daddy's house instead of his own. Things could be much worse. Especially because Daddy likes science so much. He knows everything Jimmy is just learning, but he likes to talk about it anyway. He tells Jimmy about the water cycle again while he drinks his breakfast, and it's soothing. When it's time to go Jimmy holds his hands out, and Daddy beams and tells Jimmy to have a great day as they press their palms together.


	4. Chapter 4

_Tony smiles sadly, watching after Jimmy long past his departure. Clint leaves him to it, good at being quiet. "He's a good kid."_

_"Yeah."_

_"So was his mom."_

_"I have to assume that you know we're all curious but haven't been asking. Tasha hasn't even looked it up."_

_"Aw. I knew you cared." Tony sips his coffee, savoring it before he speaks. "Total accident. Best mistake I ever made, thermodynamic miracle, all of that. She was fuckin' gorgeous, totally unstable." A wave of sharp sorrow passes over Tony's face, that little flicker of surprise when a man goes back through his memory and finds something that still hurts like yesterday. Clint's face has gone through the same motions often enough. "Overdose got her eventually." He smiles, and it hurts to look at. "She was a lot like me."_

When Jimmy comes home Steve is painting. He doesn't know nearly enough about Steve to be comfortable with him, but he doesn't make any sudden movements, just looks over and nods and gets back to work. Jimmy watches for a while longer, and finally has to approach because the colors are so bright and the paint is so smooth. He likes to paint, and nods when Steve asks if he would like to now. Steve smiles and sets him up with his own palette (all the colors but yellow) and they share the brushes and rinse water. Steve doesn't try to make him talk, and it's quiet until Daddy comes in and laughs.

"Hey, kid. Making art?"

"Yeah." He dabs some more green onto the paper, describing the sharp and pleasing angle of the light coming in through the window.

"Cool. Can I play too?"

And of course he can, and soon enough the three of them painting in the warm quiet, Daddy making a circuit board with thin, dark blue lines.

_"Look," Tony says, meticulously brushing dry dye into his hair and beard, "you don't have to come along."_

_"SHIELD would think I should," Natasha replies, barely moving her lips as Clint squints down at her, makeup brush in hand._

_"I'm sure they would."_

_"Hold still, Tasha. Lipliner."_

_She holds still and lets him apply it. On the inside of the natural line and in a muted shade, because Natasha wants to be inconspicuous. "Have I mentioned that I'll never fucking get over that?" Tony asks, watching as Clint finishes turning Natasha into an unremarkable young woman in from the suburbs to do something educational._

_"What, I can't have an artistic side? There you go, Tasha."_

_She looks into the mirror, and nods approvingly. "Thanks, it's perfect." She really does look different, and the shoulder-length, straight, dark wig she tucks her hair under completes it. To a connoisseur like Tony it's all still there, amazing body and depthless fucking eyes, but to the casual observer she's nothing special._

_Tony just relies on the dye, clothes he'd normally never take into public, and the age-old celebrity dodge of a hat and sunglasses. All told, he and Natasha make a very typical couple, and are able to wander the science museum with impunity._

Normal kids stare sometimes, because Patrick makes noises and Sherri needs her special wheelchair with the motor and Mike flaps his arms. Jimmy doesn't like that, and keeps the hood of his sweatshirt up because he doesn't have his blanket. He has the brochure, though. It's shiny and only has a little yellow on it. He doesn't touch the yellow, and reads the words. He does this slowly, but he knows lots of words. Mike doesn't know many, and always asks the same questions, but lucky for Jimmy Mrs. Redland knows about it, and keeps Mike beside her because she's the teacher and answering questions is her job.

Even the other teachers stare a little when Patrick has one of his seizures, but that's… well, it's pretty bad, Jimmy hates it when people stare, but he guesses he can understand. Jimmy has seen lots of kids have seizures, but Patrick sometimes has the big twitchy ones where they have to lay him out on the floor and hope he doesn't poop himself. They have a bag with new pants and everything just in case, but Patrick's meds have been working pretty well, and they were hoping they wouldn't need to use it. Turns out they still don't today and the meds are still working. It doesn't last nearly as long as a really bad one, and his clothes are clean when he jitters to a stop. Still, he can hear kids asking their parents and teachers questions as Mrs. Redland pets Patrick's hair and talks quietly to him as he comes back to himself. Mr. Prashett the aid takes the rest of them along once Mrs. Redland has got Patrick laid out on a bench and can give him some juice. He'll be fine now, and Jimmy goes with the others. His brochure is crumpled now, and he fusses with it through two more exhibits. Even with a crumpled brochure, he likes the science museum, and looks up when they get to the room Daddy built.

_"A holographic display of the aurora, Chad?" Natasha has named his cover this because it annoys him, and Tony has retaliated in kind, getting a much better feel for how she and Clint spend most of their undercover missions._

_"Yes, Phyllis. It's been here for a while." He raises an eyebrow at her. "A friend of his got a book of aurora photos and really dug it. That's what I heard, anyway."_

_Natasha smiles. "Well. That was sweet of him."_

_Jimmy's class files into the room after Prashett finishes reading the explanatory plaque aloud for them, and Tony turns back. "Come on, I just wanted to make sure he was settling in all right." They get out without being recognized, and he flings the cap and shades aside once they're in the car, Natasha wiping off her makeup. "Patrick's a friend of his, so I figure if he was gonna freak out, the seizure would've done it."_


	5. Chapter 5

Hulk is tired, but he doesn't want to go back down yet. Puny Banner is no good at fighting, so Hulk does it. Since Hulk does the fighting, Hulk gets the food and high-fives immediately afterwards. That's how it works. Today Metal Man smells strange, though. Anxious, through the metal and energy, and it makes Hulk snort and grumble even though there are plenty of sandwiches.

"What Metal Man afraid of?" He asks, torn between hunger and concern.

"Not really _afraid_ , big guy, just worrying about the timing a little." 

Banner whispers something about someone else coming home, down there in the sleeping dark.

"Who else?" Hulk gestures to the rest of the team, because this other person Banner is expecting feels like team.

Metal Man grins at him. "Jimmy. Small kid, about so high?" He indicates the right height with one little pink hand poking out of his metal, and then starts to take it off, turning back into Tony. "You two have met before."

And they have. Jimmy is the tiny thing that smelled like Tony and like something else. Hulk likes the tiny thing. "Tiny thing good. Tiny thing team." He eats another handful of the roast beef sandwiches, because they're the best kind.

Tony grins, snagging a turkey sandwich and settling down beside him. "You just both have the potential to flip out when disrupted, and I feel like I should keep things mellow."

"Hulk mellow." He's not sure why that makes everyone laugh as much as it does, but it's not a mean laugh, so that's okay. Soon the tiny thing arrives, and looks up at him with huge eyes in its little face. Hulk stares back, and then offers it some sandwich. It shakes its head, and Hulk grumbles, unsure what to do. Then Tony gives the tiny thing plain bread, and it eats that happily. Hulk settles again, relieved. Now everyone is fed. The tiny thing sits down between Hulk and Tony, hiding. But that's okay. Banner says the tiny thing thinks different. Even with team it needs to hide a little. The others talk about the mission and Hulk listens with half an ear, more interested in feeding himself and cataloging the tiny thing's scent.

And then One-Eye comes in. One-Eye is not team, even though Hulk's team listens to him. One-Eye sets traps and has cages, and Hulk does not like having someone so dangerous around the tiny thing. Banner tries to tell him again that One-Eye is team, that he would never hurt the tiny thing. Hulk just growls, and shelters it with one big arm as One-Eye talks to Steve.

Tony chuckles, and the tiny thing lets out a high, piping giggle. Hulk makes a pleased chuffing noise, and relaxes a bit, still watching One-Eye until he leaves.

_They see it coming, of course, and Tony gently pulls Jimmy away from his rapt contemplation of the Hulk's flank as the transformation begins. He fusses, and then stares as Hulk shudders back down to Bruce. Tony can only hope this isn't damaging the poor kid somehow, but that's kind of a lot to ask._

_"Hey, guys," Bruce croaks at last, running a hand through his hair. "What'd I miss?"_

_"…Wow," Jimmy says, staring._

_"I know, right?"_

_"He needs a shirt."_

_"He does need a shirt." Tony sets his food aside. "I'm gonna get him one."_

_He's not surprised when Jimmy comes along to make sure he picks a good one, running little fingers over the fabric to make sure it's soft enough, and holding out for one of the one of the ones with constellations on it, if there's nothing green handy._

_Bruce is appropriately grateful, and as usual post-transformation is fuzzy enough to just smile and take a nap. It's only later, on his way down to the lab that he remembers about Jimmy and hopes he hasn't frightened him too badly. Considering that he's still in the Tower and hasn't been violently ejected, the kid is probably all right, but Bruce is still incredibly tense as the door opens._

_"There you are!" Tony calls, head buried in the guts of one of the mechanisms he's come up with to test magic as an energy source. Jimmy is settled in Tony's chair, which is thronelike around his skinny little frame, and he giggles as Bruce comes in, deft little hands snapping together bright, plastic components. A wave of excruciating warmth sweeps over Bruce so fast and so completely that he can't breathe for a moment. It's been so long since anyone has been so reliably happy to see him._

_"Here I am," he says, coming closer. "What are you making, Jimmy?"_

_"Monitor stuff."_

_Looking closer, Bruce recognizes the bits as the external carapaces of the little energy detectors he and Tony have invented and plan to release as widely as possible in order to report back on spikes due to magic or the use of concentrated gamma rays and everything else that winds up causing the Avengers trouble._

_"I usually get the bots to do that, but Jimmy's better at it and has more fun with it." He stands and stretches his back, smiling at Bruce. "Nice shirt."_

_"A friend picked it out for me," Bruce says, and gets to work._


	6. Chapter 6

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Bad dreams are easier to bear with good company.

Jimmy has bad dreams sometimes. He dreams Daddy is still missing, or that he's still in the group home, or that he still doesn't know Mommy will never come back and someone is about to tell him. Sometimes he dreams of yellow rooms and being crammed into a rough coat with the sleeves tied together. This time it's about Daddy, though. He dreams that he's in his real house, and that he opens the door and Daddy is standing outside with a hole where his heart should be, and eyes that don't see anything, not even when Jimmy screams. 

He wakes up with salt all over his face and whimpers, scrubbing away the tears on his cheeks. His whitenoise machine is still going, and that helps a little. It's also not too dark. He doesn't like not being able to see when he opens his eyes, so there's a green-tinted nightlight near the door. He gets up and switches his square to green, wrapping his blanket around his head in its Cone of Protection configuration before he goes looking for Daddy.

Daddy's room is close, but he doesn't sleep at night much, and Jimmy isn't surprised that he's not in it. It's still frustrating, and he's crying again by the time he gets down the corridor to the big room with the enormous couch. Daddy is settled at one end, and Jimmy climbs up to rest his head on Daddy's chest, one hand touching the glass and light that is his heart now.

"Hey, kiddo," Daddy says, petting Jimmy's hair. "What's wrong?"

He shivers. "Bad dreams."

"Lame. Wanna watch something else?"

He glances up and sees that it's something foreign and in black and white. He likes that sometimes, but right now the lack of color is too much like death. "Yeah. Colors."

"Colors, huh?" Daddy switches over to a menu, and from there to a list of Jimmy's favorite movies. "Your choice, kiddo."

All of them are movies Jimmy has seen before, because he likes stories better when he doesn't have to figure them out. A new story takes a lot of effort, so he adds them slowly.

_Natasha has a hard time sleeping through the night. It's not remorse, just the wary habit of a lifetime. Since Stark isn't much good at it either, she's gotten used to prowling down to his level on nights like this. They watch arthouse films and bad monster movies and argue about them. It's soothing. Tonight it seems they've been pre-empted, though. Jimmy is leaning on Tony, both of them watching WALL-E with an adjustment to the color values that turns yellow into other hues._

Natasha reminds Jimmy of Eve, and he says so when she joins them. He's not sure why Daddy laughs, but Daddy is just like that sometimes. It's good that he came back from being missing, even if Jimmy still has the stupid dreams. 

_"She is very effective," Natasha agrees without so much as cracking a smile._

_"Does this make Clint WALL-E?" Tony asks, eyes sparkling._

_The little grey-green (thanks to the color filter) robot trundles forward, inhuman face adorably earnest, and Natasha has to laugh. "Maybe he is."_

Jimmy falls asleep before the end of the movie, but that's okay because he knows how it ends. And it's okay that Natasha is there even though Jimmy doesn't like people he doesn't know to be there when he's asleep. The people living with Daddy are mostly all right, though. Natasha is quiet like Mary, and Daddy likes her, which is its own endorsement. He blinks a little and watches fuzzily as she gathers up a loose corner of his blanket, piling it with the rest as Daddy gathers him up.

"Back to bed, kiddo," Daddy says, and carries him off down the hall to his dim, green room. The whitenoise is soothing as Daddy tucks him in again, and then Daddy reads to him, which is even more soothing, the words and noise blending together as Jimmy sleepily flicks his square between green and blue until he slides into another dream. This is a good one, where he and Hulk go for a walk in the woods, and the wind in the leaves sounds like the ocean.


	7. Chapter 7

_Thor is glad to be able to help make this street safe for human habitation again, and all the more honored because Tony's son lives here. Even at his gentlest, Thor is a bit big and loud for Jimmy to deal with, but he bears the boy no ill-will for that and crawls around the floor of Jimmy's room, making a last check at baseboard level. He has never seen mechanical copies of spores before, but he is deeply familiar with the magical fields involved in these tiny weapons. It has taken days, but at last he can say with confidence that there's not a single one left on the whole street. He sighs and runs a hand through his hair, stretching his back._

_"The room is clean, Tony!" He calls, and Tony comes up to join him a moment later._

_"You sure, Hammertime?"_

_"Upon my honor as prince of Asgard, I assure you that this room is safe for your son."_

_He's not at all insulted when Tony starts a scan of his own. Thor can only imagine that he would be the same in Tony's place. He leans against the wall (carefully, Midgardian dwellings are so fragile these days) and watches Tony re-check the room, touched by how thorough he is._

_"The boy is fortunate to have such a devoted father," He says as Tony crawls out from under the bed with dust in his hair._

_"Hell, just making up for lost time. Didn't even know I had a son until he was about eight years old."_

_Thor nods. "Still, you see that for a deficit and wish to correct it."_

_"Yeah, I think everyone was surprised at how responsible I was about it. His mother didn't really want me involved, but she must have had some faith in me. Basically willed me the kid, but it took so long for my people to verify and follow up on that he ended up in this completely shit group home." Tony sighs. "I still feel bad about that."_

Jimmy likes Daddy's house, but he's thrilled to go home at last. Everyone has checked, and it's safe for him and for Mary and for Will all to go back. Daddy drives them there, and comes in to read to Jimmy and play with him for a while and help him get settled. The rest of the team already said goodbye to him, and he's happy to be here in his real room, making neat lines with Daddy.

He sees the others on TV sometimes, but not in real life until Will's cousin gets sick. Will's family lives in Florida, so he has to go there to help them, and Jimmy is nervous. But the temporary person is nice. His name is Mark, and if he doesn't always understand, he has the sense to realize that he should be trying.

This morning he looks a bit frazzled, as Mary would say. When Jimmy comes out to breakfast, Mark is digging frantically through the cupboards, muttering to himself. It worries Jimmy, and he hangs back by the kitchen door, clutching his blanket.

"Hey, Jimmy," Mark says, turning and seeing him. "D'you mind just having a glass of milk first? It looks like Aurora forgot to pick up the stuff for your shakes."

Jimmy doesn't want to go to the store with Mark. He hates going to the store, even when he goes with Mary, who lets him hold onto her skirt and smiles sweetly at anyone who tries to talk to him, explaining why Jimmy is hiding from them. He knows he acts like a younger kid than he is, and that embarrasses him sometimes. It embarrasses him more when he can't manage to be good, and he knows it will be harder to be good for Mark than it is for Mary. He drinks his glass of milk, and then tries to explain things to Mark. He's not sure if Mark really understands, but he finally gets out his phone and starts making calls.

Jimmy is surprised when Steve arrives, but it's not a bad surprise. Steve smiles at him and then laughs when Jimmy shifts his square through red, white, and blue. He has brought Jimmy a picture. It's of Jimmy sitting next to the Hulk, and it's really good. He stares and stares before he remembers to look up at Steve and smile so he'll know it's a good stare. Steve smiles back. In the picture Jimmy's skin is exactly right, and he studies it to see how Steve mixed the beige-gold-brown, as well as the perfect shade of Hulk green. Steve gives him plenty of time to look at it and pours himself his own glass of milk.

By the time Mark gets back, Steve is on Jimmy's personal roster of trusted help, and he tells him so before he leaves. Steve laughs, but assures Jimmy that it's because that makes him happy and not because he finds it funny. Jimmy can trust that that's true, from Steve and from the rest of the team as each of them take their turn covering for his usual caretakers. There are more pictures as well, and soon Jimmy has one of each of them, all tacked up in a nice straight line next to the one of him and the Hulk.


End file.
